1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a magnetic disk apparatus such as a hard disk apparatus. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a servo signal writing operation capable of positioning a head onto a predetermined position on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a general-purpose magnetic disk apparatus equipped with recording/reproduction separation type magnetic resistance head, in order to realize a self-servo write operation capable of recording servo track information without employing an external writing apparatus, such information used as a reference for positioning the magnetic resistance head is required to be grasped with respect to the head provided with this magnetic disk apparatus. This reference information corresponds to a relative distance between a reproducing element and a recording element, and a track width of a magnetic disk, and the like.
As one of the above-described method capable of realizing this self-servo write operation, JP-A-8-255448 discloses such a method that while the servo information which may constitute the reference is previously recorded on a partial region of the recording medium, this pattern is read out so as to acquire the reference information for the head positioning operation. In this conventional method, the pitch amount of the head feed positioning operation is calculated by utilizing the information which has been previously recorded on a predetermined position of the recording medium.
However, in order to realize this method, while using the signal write apparatus which is separately provided with respect to the disk apparatus, the servo signal must be previously recorded on a portion of the recording medium. In other words, this conventional method may impede the merit of the self-servo write operation, namely, such an externally-provided signal write apparatus is not required in the self-servo write operation.